


Ridiculous

by Drindrak



Category: RWBY
Genre: Child Ruby, Ruby is Transformed into a Child, a bit of OOCness, just after S2E1, lots of fluff, takes place in season 2
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2014-11-01
Updated: 2014-12-03
Packaged: 2018-02-23 10:49:33
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 3
Words: 5,854
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/2544833
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Drindrak/pseuds/Drindrak
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Because of a series of really unfortunate and decidedly odd events during a class on Dust, Ruby is transformed into a child. Also on fanfiction.net under same title.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. An Unfortunate Side-Effect

Ruby Rose was trying her hardest not to fall asleep. After all, Professor Goodwitch was scary when stern and Ruby had heard all sorts of horror-stories about her detentions. But she couldn't help the way her eyes drooped! She'd stayed up until three in the morning reading this _awesome_ comic book, and the Professor was harping on and on about things she already knew- seriously, her Uncle Qrow had told her plenty of times how to properly use Dust in combat! Goodwitch's words flew in one ear and out the other as Ruby struggled to tune into the lecture. When she finally found the strength to tune in, the Professor had stopped talking, and was now walking around placing small piles of Dust in front of each student. Ruby panicked. She didn't know what she was supposed to do!

"The assignment starts now!" Goodwitch stated, making Ruby panic even more. _'What do I do, what do I do!'_ She looked at the other students, and saw them holding the dust and focusing. A few of the students, one of them being her sister, Yang, were glowing with Aura. They must be trying to activate the Dust with Aura!

"I can do that easy!" Ruby nodded to herself, and picked up a handful of the red Dust in front of her. She felt inside of her for her Aura, and started to activate the Burn Dust, and was pleased when a small fire engulfed the Dust. Professor Goodwitch walked around, and stopped in front of her.

"Very well done Miss Rose. Now try to activate the Ice Dust." Ruby nodded, and carefully let her Aura drain from the Dust in her hand. As she placed it down on the disposal pad and grabbed the Ice Dust, absently sending Aura into it, she felt a tickle in her nose. She took a few deep breaths to try and stop the sneeze that was building up in her, but failed. She let out a huge sneeze, blowing the Dust in front of her everywhere. The other students jumped in surprise, and the few that had Aura still active, glowed brighter in preparation for an attack. Ruby groaned and reached for her nose, just as another sneeze came. "EVERYONE GET DOWN!" Professor Goodwitch called, summoning up her Aura as the suddenly raised amount of Aura in the room ignited the Dust floating around, causing an explosion. Every student responded quickly to her warning, and ducked under their desks. Everyone, except Ruby, who was trying to stop sneezing. "Miss Rose!" Goodwitch got out her riding crop, and pointed it at Ruby, quickly forming a protective glyph. However, Ruby chose that moment to move out of the way of the cloud of Dust that was now floating towards her, and the glyph missed her, just as a large explosion rocked the classroom. Ruby's eyes widened as she was flung back into a wall. Her eyes slid closed as Yang rushed to her after Professor Goodwitch dampened the rest of the explosion.

"RUBY!"

* * *

Yang paced the hallway outside of the school infirmary, where Professor Goodwitch had taken Ruby once the explosions had died off. Blake was leaning against the wall opposite of her, book in hand, and Weiss was examining her sword for any damages from the explosion. Yang stopped in front of the door as the resident nurse walked out, clipboard in hand and an odd expression on her face. She looked at the three of them and then down at the clipboard.

"You are all members of Team RWBY right?" She asked, and Yang nodded.

"My sister! Is she alright?" The nurse smiled.

"Your sister is fine. Her right arm is broken and, unfortunately, we cannot use healing Dust on it until all the excess Dust in her system is gone. Other than that... well..." The nurse trailed off, and looked back down at the clipboard. "I... uh, don't quite know how to say this..."

"Allow me to explain to them." Yang nearly jumped out of her skin at the sudden appearance of the Headmaster.

"Professor Ozpin!" Yang shouted, resting a hand over her heart. "You almost scared to death!"

"Terribly sorry then, Miss Xiao Long." Ozpin sipped from his mug. "Now, there is something that you must know about your sister's condition right now."

"What is it? The nurse said she was fine!"

"And she is, however, the accident in your Dust class has caused some... changes to occur." Yang frowned. "It is hard to explain. Would you like to see her?" Yang nodded vigorously.

"Yes please!" Ozpin waved the three girls into the infirmary, and gestured to a bed hidden by curtains and shoved into the corner. Yang approached quickly, and tore open the curtains. "Ruby are... you..." She trailed off at the sight of her sister. Blake and Weiss exchanged a look, and started over to the sisters. "Uh... Professor Ozpin? Is this some kind of joke?" Blake pulled open the curtains further, and she and Weiss stepped up to the bed. A small child lay in the centre of the bed, unconscious, with a plaster covered arm. The child looked remarkably like Ruby, down to the red in her hair and bright red cloak laying at the foot of the bed.

"It is not a joke Miss Xiao Long. That child is your sister, Ruby Rose." Yang opened her mouth to say something, but closed it when nothing came out. Weiss frowned.

"But Professor Ozpin, Ruby's a kid, yes, but she's a _fifteen._ Not this... child. She looks barely four!" Ozpin gave a slight shrug.

"We're not sure exactly how Ruby has come to look like this. There are many things about Dust that we do not yet know. We are certain that she won't have to relive her entire life, however. This is most likely only temporary- a few months maximum."

"Months?!" Yang shouted. "But we have final exams! And we have school! How can Ruby continue to go to school if she's going to be kid again for _months!_ " Ozpin sighed, and looked at the slumbering child.

"That is, unfortunately, why I am here. Ruby will be unable to take the practical parts of lessons, as she would be unable to lift her weapon, let alone swing it around." Blake's eyes narrowed.

"You just mentioned the practical lessons. What about actual classes?" At that, Ozpin smiled slightly.

"Well, even a child can pick up a pen, right? Ruby may continue with written work and studying. When she returns to a normal size, she may take her practicals." Yang sighed in relief, and sat down in the chair next to the bed. "Head off to supper you two." He looked right at Weiss and Blake. Yang was obviously not going to move until her sister was awake, even to get food. "Bring some food back for Miss Xiao Long."

"Let's go." Blake said quietly, and Weiss nodded, following after her as they left the room.

"I will be going now Miss Xiao Long." Ozpin said. "I'll be back when Miss Rose wakes." Yang gave a brief nod, not bothering to look anywhere but her sister's unconscious frame. Her hands, which rested on her lap, clenched into fists.


	2. A Bit of News

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Ruby wakes and gets some of the worst news in her life.

Ruby groaned as she returned to consciousness. Her whole body ached and her head pounded terribly. _'What happened?'_ She cracked open her eyes, and was relieved when she met darkness. _'Ugh, how long was I out for?'_ She thought, attempting to sit up. She got about half-way up before falling back with a pained moan. "Ow..." She heard a yawn from beside her bed, and looked up to see Yang reaching to turn on the lamp next to her. The blonde rubbed her eyes and stared at her in confusion.

"Ruby?" Yang glanced at the clock hung on the wall, and Ruby followed her line of sight. It was four in the morning, no wonder it was so dark! "Why're you up so ear..." Yang trailed off, eyes widening slowly, a smile forming on her face. "Ruby! You're awake!" Yang gathered her up in a hug, twirling her around off the bed, and that was when Ruby noticed something was very wrong. Sure, she was shorter than Yang, and the older girl could sweep her off her feet, but she was not short enough that Yang could _literally_ sweep her into her arms, several feet in the air. A final twirl had Yang depositing her back on the bed.

"Yang?" Ruby asked, before frowning in confusion. Was it just her, or was her voice higher than she remembered?

"Yeah Ruby?" Ruby shook her head, and continued,

"What happened?" Yang winced, and scratched her cheek sheepishly.

"Well, you see, there was this explosion..." Ruby nodded.

"Yeah, I know, I was flung into the wall."

"Your arm's broken, and, uh... well, you see..." Ruby rolled her eyes as her sister stalled.

"C'mon Yang, just tell me what happened!" Yang took a deep breath.

"Seeabunchofweirdstuffhappenedandyourintheinfirmaryohyourarmisbrokenandyourakidagainsorry!" She spewed out quickly, and Ruby blinked.

"Wait, what? Yang! I didn't catch any of that!"

"Uh... I said we should wait for Professor Ozpin?" Ruby narrowed her eyes at her.

"What happened Yang." The blonde winced again.

"Professor Ozpin could explain it better than me." Ruby huffed and crossed her arms. Or, she tried to, having forgotten that her arm was broken.

"Ouch!" She looked down at her arms and froze. "Wha...?" Her entire body looked like it had shrunk! But that was impossible! "Yang! What is going on!?" She raised her tiny hands to her sister, eyes wide. "Why am I so small!"

"Perhaps, Miss Rose, Miss Xiao Long," Ozpin said, as he entered into the infirmary. "I can be of service." Ruby turned to him.

"Professor Ozpin! What is wrong with me!"

"Miss Rose, please, calm down. I will explain." Ozpin started over to them. "During your class on Dust, you caused an accident, which lead to an explosion." Ruby flinched at the accusation. "Don't worry, your current state is punishment enough. All in all it was a harmless accident. No one got hurt. No one, but you. Had you not moved out of Professor Goodwitch's glyph, you would have been fine. However you did, and as such your arm was broken, and a lot of Dust entered your body." Ruby frowned.

"But what does that have to do with me being so small?"

"You see, there is a lot about Dust that we do not yet understand. Your Aura had kicked in before you hit the wall to prevent most of the damage to your body, but it also activated all the Dust within you." Ozpin took a sip from the mug he was holding. "In all actuality, you _should_ have exploded from the inside out." Yang gasped, and Ruby pulled a horrified yet confused face.

"Well why didn't I?"

"That... we do not know. As I said, there is a lot about Dust, and in this case Aura, that we do not understand." Ruby looked down at her arms again.

"Will I be like this forever?" Ozpin shook his head.

"Heavens no. This is temporary, a couple of months at the most. Perhaps you'll return to normal tomorrow, we do not know. When all the Dust in your system burns out, then you should return to normal. Unfortunately," He gave a specific look at her right arm. "your arm will have to heal naturally for a week or two, as introducing more Dust, even those of a healing nature, to your system right now may make this permanent." Ruby looked down at the plaster covered arm and frowned.

"But what about classes? I can't hold my precious sweetheart like this!" Ozpin took a second to figure out that she was talking about her sniper scythe.

"Unfortunately, you will be unable to take practical lessons. You are correct, you will be unable to do much with a broken arm and your current size. However," Ozpin took another sip from his mug. "you will still be able to take part in written work and lectures. After all, it was just your body that changed, not your mind." Ruby huffed and stuck out her tongue.

"Blegh, written work!" Ozpin chuckled, and signaled for the night nurse to come over.

"You may return to your dorm now Miss Rose, Miss Xiao Long." The night nurse brought over a paper, which Ozpin signed and handed back. "Get some more rest. You have Doctor Oobleck's History class in the morning." Both girls groaned at the thought of the class. As Ozpin made his way out of the infirmary, Ruby struggled to get off the bed, which was designed for teenagers and adults, not little children.

"Need some help there Rubes?" Yang asked, before snatching her sister up.

"Ah! Put me down Yang!" Yang grinned and shook her head.

"No way! Besides..." She trailed off as Ruby yawned loudly. "You're lookin' mighty tired there." Ruby glared, but eventually relented when her sister shifted her arms into a better, more comfortable position.

"...fine." Ruby mumbled, her eyes starting to close against her will.

* * *

"...ch quieter asleep." Ruby heard, as she blearily blinked open her eyes. She looked around and found herself not on her haphazardly thrown together bed, but in Yang's much more safe and grounded one. Looks like they had arrived at the dorm room; and judging by the sunlight pouring in through the windows, it was later that morning. She smiled to herself and rolled over, closing her eyes once again. Just as she was dozing off, something poked her roughly in the side.

"Hey, Ruby, get up! You're going to be late!" Yang shouted, and another poke jammed into her ribs.

"...'fer what?" Ruby mumbled, sitting up.

"Classes you dolt!" Weiss said loudly, making Ruby jump.

"Classes?" She blinked in confusion, before her eyes widened. "Oh no not again!" She jumped out of bed, forgetting about her new size, and her face hit the ground with smack. She sat up, rubbing her nose with her non-plastered arm, and felt tears well up in her eyes. She was _not_ going to cry because of a little pain! She's taken worse hits than this from Grim!

"Ruby! Are you okay?" Yang knelt down next to her, and Ruby waved her off with a sniffle.

"Fine, I'm fine. Does my nose look broken?" She moved her hand and looked up at Yang, who was scrutinizing the injury site.

"Nah, it's cool. You're just gonna have a big bruise there!" Ruby wobbled up to her feet and glanced down at the beat up old shirt she was wearing. It was one of Yang's, she knew that, but it was far too large for her small frame, and slid off her shoulders uneasily.

"What am I going to wear Yang?" Yang shrugged slightly, just as a knock came at the door. Blake, being the closest to it, opened the door. From their angle, Ruby and Yang couldn't see who it was, and they couldn't hear the whispered conversation between Blake and whoever it was. A few seconds later, Blake closed the door, a small package in her hands. "Who was it?"

"Professor Goodwitch. She said the Headmaster had went out to get these for you yesterday, and that we have a pass to go to town after classes to shop." Blake sat down on the edge of Yang's bed, and opened the package. She carefully started peeling out a tiny outfit. It was a simple outfit, consisting of a long-sleeved grey shirt, a red skirt, tiny black stockings, and a pair of black and red boots. Ruby sighed in relief. For a moment she thought it would be a miniature version of the school uniform. When she looked back at Blake, she saw the faunus pulling a thin, red, cape-like, scarf out of the package. Yang grabbed the clothes and ushered Ruby towards the bathroom, closing the door behind them quietly.

"Yang! I can dress myself you know!" Ruby shouted, an embarrassed blush on her face.

"Yeah I know, I'm just here to make sure you don't hurt yourself." Ruby stuck her tongue out at her sister, and stepped out of the shirt she was wearing. As she tugged on the stockings and undergarments, she came across a problem. It was hard getting to the right side of her body with her arm in a cast, add in that she needed both hands to pull the heavier-than-it-looks skirt on, and it was a recipe for her getting hurt again. She gave up the struggle a few seconds later and pouted, before looking up at her sister, who was trying to hold in snickers.

"Alright Yang, I need help." Yang laughed and grabbed the discarded skirt on the ground.

"Great! Now, step into the skirt." The skirt was on _much_ quicker than she could have managed, and her sister grabbed the grey shirt off the counter. "Lift your arms up!" The shirt was tugged on just as quickly, and Ruby smoothed out a few wrinkles. "And finally..." She felt Yang wrap the red scarf-cape around her neck, and smiled at the familiar colour. "Perfect!" Before Ruby could even think of leaving the room, Yang picked her up and placed her on the edge of the sink to look into the mirror. Ruby looked into said mirror, and noted that the scarf fell off her shoulders behind her, much like her hood did. She tore her eyes off of the scarf, and looked at her nose, which still hurt a bit. It was a little red, but other than that, it didn't look like it was going to bruise.

"Okay Yang, let's go. I don't want to be late. We still have to get breakfast!" Yang nodded, and helped her off of the counter. She reached up for the doorknob, but it was out of reach by a head. Yang raised a brow and pushed open the door. "I could have done that!"

"Sure ya' could. Come on, get your boots on." Ruby stuck her tongue out at her sister once again, and stomped off to the door to get her boots on. _'Class is_ not _going to be fun,'_ She thought, stepping to the boots, before fumbling to tie the laces together. She growled in frustration, and looked over to her sister, who was buttoning up her blazer. Before she could call out to her, Blake crouched down in front of her.

"Do you need some help? I know how hard it is tying things with a broken arm." Ruby nodded, and turned her head away as an embarrassed blush crawled across her cheeks. Blake swiftly tied the laces together. "There."

"Th-Thanks Blake." Blake shrugged and slid on her own boots. The door knob to the dorm's front room was a bit lower than the washroom one, so Ruby jumped up and grabbed it. She twisted it and kicked open the door before letting herself fall to the ground. She looked up at the sound of Team JNPR's door opening. Nora stepped out with a grin- a grin that fell when she spotted her. "Nora?"

"Oh aren't you a cutie!" Nora squealed, picking Ruby up. Nora laughed and turned to the rest of her team. "Ren, look! It's a mini-Ruby!" Ruby pushed against Nora, struggling to breathe.

"Nora, you're strangling her." Ren said, and Nora gasped before placing Ruby gently on the ground.

"I'm sorry mini-Ruby!" Jaune and Pyrrha stuck their heads out the door at the shout.

"Hey, what's going on out here?" Yang said, stepping into the hall. "Ruby, you okay?"

"Y-Yeah, just had a bit of air squeezed from my lungs." Ruby muttered, glaring up at a sheepish Nora. Weiss scoffed as she exited the dorm as well.

"She's fine you brute. Stop smothering her." Yang narrowed her eyes.

"Shut it Ice Queen." Weiss stomped her foot.

"Why does everyone keep calling me that!" Ruby raised her arms and got between the two.

"Stop fighting! I'm getting hungrier by the second!" Yang and Weiss glared at each other as the blonde grabbed Ruby's left hand and started walking down the hall, the rest of Team RWBY at their heels. Team JNPR looked at each other.

"How'd Ruby get so small?"

* * *

Breakfast had been a relatively quiet affair, as they were the last to enter and had managed to snag a table near the doors. Yang brought some food over for Ruby, who was shrinking into her hood at the stares being lodged at her, and they ate quickly and left even quicker. Currently they were loitering outside the History classroom, waiting for Dr. Oobleck to open the doors. Ruby was savouring a cookie she had swiped before leaving the dinner hall, and her teammates were leaning against the wall.

"Where's Oobleck, he's usually here way early!" Yang said, glancing at the time displayed on her Scroll. Five minutes until class starts. The other students in the class could be heard walking down the hall.

"I'm sure he's-" Blake was cut off by Oobleck himself.

"Right here ladies! In now, come inside! Class is starting!" Oobleck pushed open the door, and dashed to his desk, drinking from his thermos. Ruby always had the sneaking suspicion that his thermos was more than just a thermos, but she could never prove it. The second everyone sat down, the bell for class start rang. Oobleck took another sip from his thermos, and began to quickly write on the board. Ruby felt a headache start to form, making her groan. She rested her head on the desk in front of her. A piece of chalk bounced off the top of her head, having been thrown at her by the professor. "Miss Rose! No sleeping in class!"

"Sorry!" She muttered, sitting up. She heard Yang snickering beside her, and kicked her under the desk. Ruby put her chin in her hand and started to daydream. It was better than tuning in to an impossible to follow lecture.


	3. Welcome to Beacon

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Ruby, Yang, and Weiss go shopping, play board games, and Ruby meets three members of Team CRME.

Ruby sat next to Yang on a bench outside the airship docks, kicking her legs out in boredom. Weiss had run off to the dorm to grab some extra Lien, and Blake had said she didn't want to go with them, instead deciding to go to the library.

"Alright we can go now." Weiss said, making Ruby jump and look up. _'When did she get here?'_

"Great!" Yang leaped off the bench and grinned. Ruby hopped off after her. "Let's go!" Yang shouted, before turning and beginning to board the airship, Weiss at her heels. Ruby had to run to keep up with the two taller girls.

"Wait up Yang!" Ruby called, trying to speed up a bit. She didn't want to use her Semblance as she wouldn't be able to stop in such a small area. Yang stopped walking and laughed sheepishly.

"Sorry sis! I forgot you were shorter now!" Ruby glared at her and pushed passed her onto the ship. Yang blinked. "What? Was it something I said?" Weiss rolled her eyes at the blonde and boarded the ship as well.

* * *

Ruby hid slightly behind her sister as they walked down the streets of Vale. Everything was _much_ bigger than before, and it was all really rather intimidating. Strangers waved at her every time they noticed her staring and older women would beam and call her cute, making her blush. It was all so... overwhelming.

"Hey Ruby, we're here!" Yang called, and Ruby looked up at the store they stopped in front of. It was a simply clothing shop that appeared to sell mostly children's clothes. Yang tugged on her hand, pulling her into the store. "Let's see, what do you want to wear?" Ruby shrugged and started looking around. The chime above the door behind them rang out as Weiss entered, a look of distaste on her face.

"Weiss?" Ruby asked, making the white-haired girl look down to her. "What's up?" Weiss shook her head.

"Nothing." Ruby continued to stare at her. Weiss sighed and relented., "This store makes me uncomfortable, okay?" Ruby frowned and looked over the store.

"Why?"

"It's just... poor peoples clothes. I've never set foot in a store like this, alright?" Ruby giggled as Weiss began looking even more uncomfortable when they began walking deeper into the store.

"It's just clothes!" Ruby pulled her hand from Yang's, and skipped off into an aisle full of red coloured clothes. She ran her hands over the many fabrics, before pausing on a red hoodie. It had no sleeves and looked like it would be a bit big on her, but that wasn't what caught her attention. It looked exactly like the hoodie she wore when she was younger. "Yang!" She shouted as she pulled the hoodie from the shelf. She heard her sister walk up, and turned to hold it up. "Look! It's just like the one I used to wear!" Yang grabbed the hoodie from her hands and grinned.

"You're right! Let's get it!" She folded it up and draped it across her arm. "Find a few other things and then we'll go."

* * *

Around an hour later, Ruby had four red hoodies- two with long sleeves and two without, three red vests, an extra pair of boots, some socks, and seven black skirts. There was also a nice little red and black formal dress that Weiss bought her for some dance coming up. She'd never heard of this dance, but Weiss hadn't taken no for an answer. At least she didn't have to wear those silly lady-stilts that Weiss was going to. She let out a sigh of relief as they left the store. She had never really liked shopping, unless it was weapon shopping.

"Well..." Yang started, swinging the bags around. "...that was a thing." Weiss gave a non-committal hum as she checked her watch.

"We should head back now if we want to catch dinner." Ruby stretched and nodded.

"Yeah, I'm beat." She yawned, reaching up and grabbing Yang's unoccupied hand. She didn't want to get lost or be left behind. As the walked, they passed by a store with yellow police tape surrounding it.

"Another Dust robbery?" Weiss muttered, staring into the store. Ruby carefully avoided walking on some broken glass that made it to the street. She looked up at the store.

"No, that's a book shop!" She said, pointing up at the sign. "Tukson's Book Trade." Yang narrowed her eyes at the sign, and hailed a cop over.

"Hey copper! What happened?" She asked, and the cop shook his head.

"Poor bastard- oh pardon my language," He said, looking down at Ruby. "Some poor sap got offed." He wandered back into the store. Ruby felt Yang's hand tighten around hers. She looked up at Yang and Weiss, and saw them staring into the store at something she couldn't see from her angle. If she had to hazard a guess, it was probably either a body bag or a bloodstain.

"C'mon, let's go back..." She whispered, pulling on her sister's hand. Yang glanced down at her and nodded.

"Yeah."

* * *

About two hours later, Ruby and the rest of the team were seated in the library, the event from the book shop earlier pushed from their minds. Ruby glared across the table at Yang, who smirked in return. She looked down at the cards in her hands, and grinned.

"Yang Xiao Long! Prepare your Kingdom for battle!" Ruby shouted, slamming a card down on the table.

"Bring it on!" Yang shouted back. Ruby flipped her card over and smirked.

"I deploy the Atlasian Air Fleet! That means I get to fly right over your Ursai and attack your walls directly!" She made a noise reminiscent of an aeroplane as Yang gasped,

"You fiend!"

"And, my repair time only lasts _one turn._ " She grinned victoriously. And then Yang smirked back.

"Too bad sis! You activated my trap card!"

"WHAAAAT!"

"Giant Nevermore!" Yang laughed as she placed the card in play. Ruby glared.

"You have to roll a seven or higher or else the Nevermore turns on your own forces!" Yang glared back as she picked up the die laying off to the side.

"That's a risk I'll have to take." She shook her hands together, and let the die fly. Ruby moaned pitifully as the die displayed a perfect seven. "Mwahahahahaha!" Yang laughed, taking several of Ruby's pieces off the board game in front of them. Ruby lay her head on the table and continued making pitiful sounding whines. Yang turned to Weiss, who was staring at the game in confusion. "Well Weiss? You're up!"

"Uh..." Weiss stared at her cards. "I have _no_ idea what I'm doing." Yang rolled her eyes, and sidled up to the girl.

"It's easy!" Yang glanced at Weiss' hand. "You're playing as Vacuo, which means all Vacuo based cards have an advantage."

"That's stupid." Weiss muttered, as Yang began to rearrange her cards.

"See, look, you have Sandstorm, Desert Scavenge... ooh, oh! Look, Resourceful Raider! Now you can take Ruby's discarded Air Fleet, and put it in your hand!" Weiss blinked. "And, since Vacuo cards all have endurance, you can use Sandstorm to disable my ground forces and simultaneously infiltrate my Kingdom!" Yang then glared and pointed at Weiss dramatically. "Just know, I will take this as a declaration of _war._ "

"And what does that mean?" Ruby piped up from her position of half-laying on the table.

"It means your three moves away from conquering Remnant!" Weiss blinked, then smirked evilly.

"Ah-hah! Fear my forces! Cower as they pillage your villages! Yes, finally, I, Weiss Schnee, will be ruler of-" She was cut off by Yang shoving a card in her face.

"Trap Card!" Weiss blinked as Yang took out her forces on the board. "Your forces have been destroyed." Weiss sat down, a scowl on her face.

"I hate this game of emotions we play!" Ruby launched herself at Weiss, who caught her with ease.

"Don't worry Weiss! We'll make it through this together!" Weiss huffed, but didn't push her away. Yang turned to Blake, who had been watching in boredom.

"Alright, Blake, your turn!" Blake looked at her cards, before standing. "Blake?"

"This is childish. I'm heading back to the room." Yang frowned at the secret faunus' back as she walked away. With a sigh, she looked back at the remaining two players.

"Well... I guess I won?" Ruby nodded, and Yang crowed happily in victory as Weiss packed the game away.

"Why do you always win this game Yang?" Ruby grumbled. She could never remember a single time when she or their father had won against the blonde at this game. Yang patted her head and stood with a flourish.

"Because I'm awesome, that's why."

* * *

Ruby made a face as her team made plans to go after the leads they had on the Dust robberies and on Torchwick and the White Fang. Conveniently forgetting to even mention her name in their plans. To be fair, she hadn't quite paid attention to what Weiss and Blake were arguing about, since they did it so often, and had drifted off, until she heard Torchwick's name being brought up. She crossed her arms as best she could with her still cast-covered arm, and sat up.

"Guys, what about me?" Her team looked at one another. Well, Yang just looked at Blake, who shrugged lightly.

"But Ruby you look like a kid still. What we're doing is dangerous- I don't want you to get hurt!" Yang said, making Ruby pout. She wouldn't get hurt! Despite her size she _was_ a Huntress in training!

"But I could go with the person who has the least danger!" Yang blinked, and looked at Weiss and Blake. Weiss rolled her eyes with a dismissive gesture and Blake shrugged once again, saying,

"Well, she could." Yang frowned, and made to argue her point again, when Weiss glared at her. Yang glared back, before turning back to Ruby.

"Then I guess you could go with Weiss to the CCT... now-" Ruby cut her off with a sudden gasp, having remembered that they left her game in the Library, and jumped to her feet. "Ruby?"

"I left my board game in the library!"

"Wha-" Yang started, only to once again be cut off by Ruby speeding out of the room. "Ruby!"

* * *

Ruby ran down the hall, and took a sharp turn at the corner, barreling into someone else. With her being the size she was, she was sent onto her back, while whoever she ran into just stumbled a bit.

"Ow ow ow..." Ruby mumbled, rubbing her arm through the cast on it. Well, trying to at least. She blinked when a hand invaded her vision. She tilted her head back to see who she ran into. It was a green haired, dark-skinned girl with the, in Ruby's opinion, coolest red eyes. A grey haired boy stood behind her, his own dark eyes narrowed in confusion. In fact, both of them were looking pretty confused.

"What's a kid like you doing here?" Green-hair asked, as Ruby grabbed her hand and let the older girl haul her to her feet. She brushed off her skirt and fidgeted.

"Uh... well.." Green-hair raised an eyebrow intimidatingly. "It was an accident with Dust?" Ruby squeaked, and the two foreigners shared a look.

"How does Dust explain why a kid is in Beacon?" Green-hair reiterated, her eyes narrowing.

"Emerald, be nice." A new voice piped up, making the two turn. Ruby tilted her head back a bit further to see the newcomer.

"Cinder!" Green-hair, or rather Emerald if Ruby had to guess, exclaimed, surprise in her voice. The newcomer had black hair and glowing gold eyes. Ruby ducked her head as all three sets of eyes landed on her.

"Why, hello there." The newcomer- _'Cinder,'_ Ruby reminded herself, said, staring down at her. "Ruby Rose, was it?" Ruby blinked, and looked back up at her.

"How did you...?"

"The story of your accident has been floating around all day, but it was hardly believable until one actually sees you." Ruby huffed and scuffed the ground with her boots.

"Stupid gossiping teenagers..." She muttered. A hand patted the top of her head suddenly, making her jump.

"Could you point us in the direction of the Haven dorms? I'm afraid we got a little turned around." Ruby nodded. Makes sense, Beacon was a maze when she first arrived!

"U-Uh sure, your dorms are just east of here. Take a left up ahead."

"Thank you." Cinder said, and all three of them walked around Ruby to continue down the hall. As Cinder passed her, she commented, "Maybe I'll see you around." Ruby nodded with a exclamation of,

"Maybe!" Ruby watched them go for a few more seconds before calling out, "Welcome to Beacon!" Cinder gave her a wave in return, just as they turned towards the Haven dorms. Ruby nodded to herself. "They seemed nice." She smiled and turned on her heel, racing to the Library for her game.


End file.
